carnal

English

Etymology

From Middle English, from Latin carnālis (“fleshly, of the flesh”), from carō (“flesh”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈkɑɹnəl/
• Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)nəl

Adjective

carnal (comparative more carnal, superlative most carnal)

1. Relating to the physical and especially sexual appetites.
2. Worldly or earthly; temporal.
3. Of or relating to the body or flesh.

Derived terms

• carnally
• carnal knowledge

Related terms

• incarnate
• incarnation
• reincarnate
• reincarnation

Translations

relating to the physical and especially sexual appetites

• Arabic: جَسَدُيّ‎ (jasaduyy)
• Bulgarian: плътски (bg) (plǎtski)
• Catalan: carnal
• Esperanto: fivolupta
• Finnish: himokas (fi)
• French: charnel (fr)
• German: fleischlich, körperlich (de), sexuell (de), sinnlich (de)
• Greek: σαρκικός (el) (sarkikós)

• Old English: flǣsċlīċ
• Persian: تنانه‎ (tanâne)
• Polish: cielesny (pl)
• Portuguese: carnal (pt)
• Russian: чувственный (ru) (čuvstvennyj), плотский (ru) (plotskij)
• Spanish: carnal, sexual (es), concupiscente (es), libidinoso (es)
• Welsh: cnawdol (cy)

worldly or earthly; temporal

• Bulgarian: светски (bg) (svetski)
• Finnish: (worldly) maailmallinen (fi), (earthly) maallinen (fi); (temporal) ajallinen (fi)
• German: diesseitig (de)
• Old English: flǣsċlīċ

• Portuguese: carnal (pt)
• Russian: земно́й (ru) (zemnój), мирской (ru) (mirskoj)
• Spanish: terrenal (es), mortal (es)

of or relating to the body or flesh

• Bulgarian: телесен (bg) (telesen)
• Catalan: carnal
• Finnish: (relating to the body) ruumiillinen (fi); (relating to the flesh) lihallinen (fi)
• Gothic: 𐌻𐌴𐌹𐌺𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃 (leikeins)
• Old English: flǣsċlīċ

• Portuguese: carnal (pt)
• Russian: телесный (ru) (telesnyj), плотский (ru) (plotskij)
• Spanish: carnal, corporal (es)
• Welsh: cnawdol (cy)

Further reading

• carnal in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• carnal in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911.

---

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin carnālis.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic) IPA^(key): /kəɾˈnal/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /kərˈnal/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /kaɾˈnal/

Adjective

carnal (masculine and feminine plural carnals)

1. carnal (relating to the physical, especially sexual, appetites)
2. consanguineous (descending from the same ancestor)

   germà carnal

   blood brother

Related terms

• carn
• carnalitat

Further reading

• “carnal” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “carnal” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
• “carnal” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “carnal” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

---

Portuguese

Etymology

From Old Portuguese carnal, from Latin carnālis (“of the flesh”), from carō (“flesh”).

Pronunciation

• (Paulista) IPA^(key): /kaɾ.ˈnaw/, /kaɹ.ˈnaw/
• (South Brazil) IPA^(key): /kaɾ.ˈnaw/, /kaɻ.ˈnaw/
• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /kɐɾ.ˈnaɫ/
• Hyphenation: car‧nal

Adjective

carnal m or f (plural carnais, comparable)

1. carnal (relating to the physical, especially sexual, appetites)
2. (religion) carnal; earthly; worldly (concerned with human matters)

   Synonym: terreno

   Antonym: espiritual

3. consanguineous (descending from the same ancestor)

   Synonym: consanguíneo

   irmão carnal ― blood brother.

Related terms

• carnalidade
• carnalmente
• carnalizar
• carne

---

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin carnālis (“fleshly, of the flesh”), from caro (“flesh”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /karˈnal/
• Rhymes: -al

Adjective

carnal (plural carnales)

1. carnal (relating to the physical, especially sexual, appetites)

   Synonyms: sexual, libidinoso

2. consanguineous, by blood (related through birth)

   Synonym: consanguíneo

   • 1962, Julio Cortázar, “Simulacros”, in Historias de cronopios y de famas:

     Por ejemplo, el patíbulo, hasta hoy nadie se ha puesto de acuerdo sobre el origen de la idea, mi hermana la quinta afirma que fue uno de mis primos carnales, que son muy filósofos, pero mi tío el mayor sostiene que se le ocurió a él después de leer una novela de capa y espada.

     (please add an English translation of this quote)

Noun

carnal m (plural carnales, feminine carnala, feminine plural carnalas)

1. (Mexico) Ellipsis of hermano carnal (“brother by blood”); brother (in opposition to adopted or in-law)

Related terms

• carnalidad
• carne

Further reading

• “carnal” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.